Thursday, July 12, 2007

itchy, naughty pets

Drudge is currently linking to a video spot about a pit bull that sodomized a two-year-old child. The family has relinquished custody of the dog and it seems they want the dog sodom-- uh, euthanized.

I'd probably feel the same way if a family pet was found doing the nasty with one of my kids. After giving that dog a stern 12-gauge lecture, I'd be sure to watch my kid for signs of strangeness during his teen years.

This incident gives a whole new meaning to "Lil Bow Wow." Yikes.

I've heard from pit bull and Rottweiler fans that those species are largely misunderstood and are victims of bad press. I'm more inclined to believe the hype and less inclined to believe the fans in this case. How often does the news report attacks by Labrador retrievers? When was the last time a chihuahua ripped off a toddler's head? What house cat, rabbit, or budgie has a bite pressure of over 1000 pounds per square inch?

If you've got little kids in the house, then for God's sakes get kid-friendly pets. Reserve the pit bull purchase for when you're old, bitter, divorced, and living in a county with strict gun laws. True: the above-linked case wasn't about your typical dog-related attack, but I get the impression that, with pit bulls, anything goes.

NB: The Wiki article on pit bulls includes a chart describing where put bulls are banned and where bans are being discussed/planned. Most of the entry is devoted to discussions of how dangerous the dog might be.


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3 comments:

Sperwer said...

The dogs do have an undeserved bad rep. The reason Labs and golden retrievers don't is that they don't have the sort of looks that attracts gangbanger owners who turn the dogs into killing machines

Malcolm Pollack said...

I agree with Sperwer; what the dog becomes depends in large part on its training. I've only known two pit bulls, and both of them were among the dumbest, sweetest, most affable creatures I've ever met. Which means absolutely nothing; we're talking about dogs here, and dogs, in their infinite fealty to humans, will do pretty much whatever you train them to do.

A pit bull is essentially a dense, compact lozenge of gristle and fast-twitch muscle, supporting a head that consists of a tooth-studded vise attached to a microscopic, vestigial brain. The ones I knew were as gentle as the spring rain, but so were their owners. But a pit bull is just as content to pulverize your femur as to lick your face, it's simply a matter of what its master prefers.

Anonymous said...

I have nothing to add other than, no matter how much we kid ourselves into thinking certain animals are "domesticated," they still remain animals. I've even read articles regarding people swimming with dolphins who end up getting raped/assaulted by amorous dolphins.

And not to get down on "animals," no matter how much we kid ourselves, we, too, are animals. Sure a good lot of us act civilized and "human," and are have sophisticated means of communications and elegant modes of dress and fine tuned senses of smell or taste, but at our core beats the heart of an animal. For the majority of us, we've been conditioned marvelously. For some, not so much